Maricarmen Abascal, Symbol of Spain's Housing Crisis, Dies Two Weeks After Her Eviction

Maricarmen Abascal, the 87 year old woman evicted on September 23 from the home on Calle Alcalde Sainz de Baranda where she had lived for seventy one years, died on Wednesday at Madrid's Gregorio Maranon hospital, where she had been admitted with acute anxiety and exhaustion following the eviction.

Her rent had jumped from 500 to 2,650 euros a month, an increase demanded by the owner that ultimately led to her removal from the building. Abascal's case had become a national symbol of the housing crisis in the preceding weeks, fueling weeks of protests, a failed emergency decree in Congress, and the subsequent calling of a snap election for November 29.

News of her death set off a wave of outrage that culminated Thursday in a mass demonstration in Madrid, with around 20,000 people marching between Puerta del Sol and number 46 Sainz de Baranda street, outside the building from which she was evicted. At the building's entrance, neighbors and strangers left farewell messages, including a handwritten note reading "Rest in peace, Maricarmen."

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reacted to the news on social media with a message of condolence: "All my affection to Maricarmen's family and loved ones. A hug also to all those who today feel this loss as our own. Rest in peace."

The encampment set up in Puerta del Sol since the day of the eviction, which at its peak drew close to a thousand people, has become a rallying point for those demanding stronger protections against evictions, just weeks before the general strike called for November 11 and an election in which housing is shaping up to be one of the central campaign issues.